Deer, wild boar and other large animals can strip a young orchard or garden in a single night. Exclusion netting is the fix — but only if the mesh, height and fixing are matched to the animal, because a deer jumps what a rabbit cannot, and a boar pushes through what a deer respects.
Large animals are stopped by height and strength, not by fine mesh. A deer can clear a low fence, so exclusion netting is run tall — usually 1.8–2 m and above — and kept taut so the animal cannot push through or duck under. The mesh itself can be relatively open, because the job is to block the body, not the beak. Our monofilament HDPE netting knitted in the 5–25 mm mesh range is strong enough for the job while staying light enough to run long stretches.
A deer needs height and a visual barrier it will not test; a rabbit or hare needs a fine mesh it cannot squeeze through; a wild boar needs a net anchored at ground level so it cannot root underneath. One net rarely does all three. The mesh size guide explains how mesh matches the animal you are stopping.
Run the net on posts at 2–3 m spacing and keep it tensioned so it does not sag into a gap the animal can use. Bury or pin the bottom edge against the ground — a 15–20 cm apron pegged down stops boar and rabbit from working underneath. For wind exposure, the same tension and fixing principles apply: a sagging net is a gap, not a barrier.
| Animal | Height needed | Key detail |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | 1.8–2 m+ | Taut, tall, visible barrier |
| Wild boar | 1.2–1.5 m | Ground-anchored, no rooting gap |
| Rabbit / hare | 0.9–1.2 m | Fine mesh, buried bottom edge |
The practical takeaway: measure the animal, not the field. A deer fence is a height-and-tension problem; a rabbit fence is a mesh-and-ground problem. Tell your supplier which animal you are stopping and they will spec the mesh, height and fixing to match.
1.8–2 m or more. Deer clear low fences, so height and a taut, visible barrier are what stop them — not fine mesh.
A relatively open mesh is fine for the body, but the bottom edge must be anchored or buried so the boar cannot root underneath. The weak point is the ground line, not the mesh.
Rarely. Deer need height; rabbits need fine mesh and a buried edge. If both are a problem, spec two runs or a combined system rather than one compromise net.
Peg or bury the bottom edge — a 15–20 cm apron pinned to the ground stops boar, rabbit and hare from working underneath. Keep the net tensioned so there is no sagging gap.
Measure the animal, not the field — deer need height and tension, rabbits need fine mesh and a buried edge. Tell us your requirements and we will quote factory-direct.
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